Dr. Taner Akcam to Address the Second Annual Armenian Studies Symposium at the University of South Florida

Tampa, FL – Next month, the University of South Florida (USF) Holocaust & Genocide Studies Center (HGSC) will hold its Second Annual Armenian Studies Symposium. Prominent Turkish historian Dr. Taner Akcam will present the topic of Armenian Genocide denial within the context of Turkish national security policy and international relations. Dr. Akçam’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with USF faculty Steven C. Roach and Edward Kissi.

Dr. Taner Akçam is the Robert Aram, Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marion Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University in Worcester, Massachussetts. He has authored dozens of books and articles on the topic of Armenian Genocide denial, Turkish politics and human rights. He also serves on the editorial board of “Genocide Studies & Prevention,” the official journal of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.

Recently, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in favor of Dr. Akcam in a case he brought before the court against the government of Turkey for charges filed against him under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, the same law that precipitated the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2009. The ECHR found that Article 301 violates the European Convention on Human Rights and runs counter to the values of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Hrant Dink, Dr. Akcam and several journalists and academics in Turkey have been charged with “denigrating the Turkish nation” for speaking truthfully about the Armenian Genocide.

Everyone is invited on the afternoon of Friday, November 4, 2011 from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm to attend the Symposium. It will be held in the USF Tampa Library’s Grace Allen Room (4th floor), and is free and open to the public.